OUR WINTER MONSTER by Dennis Mahoney literally will chill you to the bone. Not only does it read like a throwback, old-school horror novel --- or a beloved B-horror film --- it leaves enough to the imagination that readers will be beside themselves with appreciation while they are being properly scared.

Holly and Brian are still recovering from a tragic event that disrupted their lives and seems to have brought their relationship to a screeching halt. Mahoney does a nice job of keeping this incident under wraps until well into the narrative, which allows the reader to piece together some of the missing puzzle pieces that the story has created. In an effort to spend some quality time together and rekindle their relationship, they head off for a winter jaunt to the small upstate New York village of Pinebuck.

"Dennis Mahoney provides one of the most creative explanations for the monster that I have ever experienced in any horror novel.... OUR WINTER MONSTER is one book that clearly is meant to be read during a dark and stormy winter night."

Unfortunately, Holly and Brian are on the road during a monster blizzard. The determined Holly is at the wheel and is prepared to plow through the snow to reach their destination. But Mother Nature has other ideas, and the car ends up being driven off the road and gets stuck in a field. Believe it or not, the worst is yet to come. When Holly awakens, there is no sign of Brian. It is in the elements that Brian thinks he sees an enormous creature tearing through the trees. The next thing they know, they become separated and will spend a good portion of the book trying to find each other.

Brian ends up meeting a gentleman who also believes he saw a great beast and is convinced it was a giant bear. This stranger will not make it through the evening as whatever is in the blizzard is literally tearing apart both property and people. Brian and Holly have their own separate adventures that involve this otherworldly creature, and the location, storm and evening chill all combine to make for the perfect backdrop of a terrifying horror tale.

Pinebuck will not get off easily, and even some of the residents living and working in the small wintry village find their lives cut short at the hands of a creature that seems to have stepped out of a nightmare. This sets off Sheriff Kendra Book, who recently dealt with the disappearance of two tourists. The danger feels quite personal to her.

Dennis Mahoney provides one of the most creative explanations for the monster that I have ever experienced in any horror novel. That secret alone is worth the price of admission, and OUR WINTER MONSTER is one book that clearly is meant to be read during a dark and stormy winter night.